Arrrrrrrdbeg (51.8%, OB, ex-rye casks, 2020)
Fully matured in ex-rye casks and bottled to mark the departure of the great Mickey Heads. I couldn't tell you if I put the correct number of 'r's in the name there. Colour: pale straw. Nose: I don't find it particularly Ardbeggy, it's more on light seawater, washing salts, beach foam and sand to begin with. Any peat is very restrained. Putty, some crab sticks, sandalwood and chalk. Quite elegant but a bit uncertain perhaps. With water: very crystalline with brittle salinity, lemon juice, pine wood and a touch of aniseed. Mouth: some peat comes now, light and peppery peat, with metal polish, soot, indeed a little pumpernickel rye spiciness as well. Although overall it remains a bit youthful and sharp around the edges I think. With water: some smoked olive oil, some lemon juice and a bit of sharp, slightly acidic and tangy smoke. Finish: medium, prickly with smoke, some pickle brine, more aniseed and more pepper. Comments: not too sure about this one. It feels a bit undercooked and not particularly Ardbeg to me. Still, the freshness and crispness are very enjoyable.
SGP: 355 - 82 points.

Ardbeg 5 yo 'Wee Beastie' (47.4%, OB, b29/10/2020)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: lots of these typically youthful yeasty sourdough starter notes, lemon juice on wet sheep wool, wet rope, creosote and a rather sooty smokiness. Some things like whelks and salty pasta water in the background. Youthful but excellently and refreshingly so I'd say. Mouth: tingling peat smoke, seawater, wood ashes, kelp and iodine. Rather excellent straight away. Lovely sense of bath salts and tarry hessian. Finish: good length, a warm peppery feeling, more sharp salt crystals, lemon juice, seawater and hessian. Comments: I don't find this particularly beasty, but I do find it extremely charming and very good. How about 'wee beauty' instead?
SPG: 466 - 87 points. 

Ardbeg 10 yo (46%, OB, L 22/03/2021)
Colour: white wine. Nose: wet rocks, hessian, chalk, brine, lemon juice, medicines, lightly acidic peat smoke. It's  Ardbeg 10 and everything appears to be in its place. Mouth: great arrival, sharp, drying peat smoke, more hessian, oily tool rags, smoked sea salt, camphor, tar, iodine. Textural but also chiselled and precise too. You could think in some ways it's a mix of Caol Ila and Laphroaig at times. Some lovely maritime qualities like seawater and kelp come through with a couple more sips. Keeps evolving with more things like creel nets, more tar, anthracite embers and roof pitch. Picking up power as it goes along. Finish: long, full of wood ashes, silky peat smoke, tar, embrocations and things like lime and seawater. Comments: I think they never really altered the recipe of a mix of 1st and refill casks since this one was introduced. Very smart, because IMHO, this remains a brilliant modern classic. Total bang for your buck territory for sure.
SPG: 367 - 90 points.

Ardbeg 8 yo 'For Discussion' (50.8%, OB, b18/03/2021)
It's great that these bottles have more 'common sense' L codes these days. Colour: bright straw. Nose: delicately salty, this sense of things like smoked and pink sea salts. Bath bombs, sandalwood, briny pickling juices, kippers - feels notably more mature after the 5yo, perhaps deceptively so. But still, it's another very good one. With water: getting more aromatic and medicinal now with things like witchhazel, wintergreen and aniseed. Some touches of germoline and camphor as well. Mouth: hoho, lovely oily and textural peat, slathered on phenolics, engine grease, tar extracts, some punchy hospital vibes, gauze, iodine, black pepper and thick sooty notes. Totally superb and the texture is really what impresses most! With water: wonderful peat flavour, cough medicines, pepper and anchovy paste. A terrific tarriness that feels totally Ardbeggy. Finish: good length, peppery, tarry, slightly fishy and still with this wonderfully oily and phenolic vibe. Comments: I find this wee baby just absolutely superb, what I love most is that it feels not only technically good, but with this wonderfully texture it also feels like it has a soul to match. Benchmark young modern Ardbeg at its best. I will be buying a couple of bottles and you may take that as a firm seal of approval.
SGP: 577 - 90 points.

Ardbeg 19 yo 'Traigh Bhan' (46.2%, OB, batch 'TB/03 -10.10.01/21.BL', American oak and oloroso sherry casks)
The latest batch I believe. Is it just me, or are these batch numbers are longer than Bill Lumsden's joke book? Colour: pale gold. Nose: a highly aromatic and scented type of peat smoke that feels quite wispy, soft and permeating with impressions of sandalwood, furniture polish and crushed sea shells. Also things like smoked tea, menthol tobacco, myrtle and heather beer. Even though I suppose this is early 2000s Glenmorangie produced batches now, it feels more reminiscent of the 1990s Allied style. Which is quite reassuring in many ways. Mouth: pepper, smoked olive oil, very tarry, a lot of hessian, smoked cereals and some struck flints and other rather punchy mineral touches. In time it evolves these big camphor aspects but also quite a lot of dried herbs, aniseed, dried lime peel and hardwood resins. Finish: medium and with this warming peppery and peaty side (which seems to be an increasing hallmark of these modern Ardbeg), leather, pine cones, wood smoke and a little more aniseed. Comments: excellent whisky, no doubt about it. But perhaps the 8 was a tad more impressive simply by virtue of its youthful zest. Anyway, we're splitting hairs - this is lovely.
SGP: 566 - 90 points.